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The Prosecco Hills Trail

Put a backpack on your shoulders and walk. Not for a day trip as when you are on vacation in a mountain resort, but for a real adventure made of steps, slowness, discovery and stages. Traveling on foot in Italy along the many paths in our country is becoming more and more successful: ancient religious roads, muletracks, sheep-tracks and old trade routes are now in the vacation planning of many tourists and an increasing number of Italians.

An alternative, fun and healthy choice to travel in an ecological and intelligent way, away from the traffic of the main tourist routes, in close contact with nature and at the same time without necessarily renouncing moments of relaxation and comfortable and quality accommodation in which to spend the night. In recent years, walking tourism and the walking route has seen a growing interest among travelers, with thousands of people, from all over the world, setting out to cross Italy on various itineraries, thus experiencing a combination of adventure, culture, natural beauty and religious spirit.

Let's dispel the myth: there is not only the Camino de Santiago. Traveling slowly, at the pace chosen by one's steps, has brought more than 35,000 pilgrims and walkers on the Via Francigena in 2019 (just to give an example with certain data provided by the relevant association). Italy is very rich in such itineraries and periodically new ones are added. One is spoiled for choice: a choice dictated by one's personal ability to challenge oneself, physical preparation, time available, and taste. What is certain is that before leaving it is necessary to train, build physical preparation, prepare in detail the chosen itinerary, identify the places in which to stop and sleep.

Small villages, corners with unspoiled nature, pieces of ancient history, are within reach of all those who want to try a different vacation and possess a free spirit. Nothing impossible, considering that in Italy all roads, paths and itineraries are marked and present now in many guidebooks both printed and online. Each path gives travelers the opportunity to register and obtain conventions for accommodations.

Any examples other than the aforementioned Via Francigena or the Path of the Gods? For those who want to explore the south of the peninsula, there is the Kalabria Coast to Coast, 55 kilometers from the Ionian to the Tyrrhenian Sea, starting from Soverato and arriving in Pizzo Calabro, in an itinerary that can also be traveled by mountain bike and that winds through rows of vines, olive groves and prickly pears. It is a project created thanks to the Kalabria Trekking association to unite the two seas of the region, crossing territories far from the purely tourist circuits and very crowded especially in the summer months. Just before arrival, on high ground, a breathtaking landscape opens up to walkers, with the island of Stromboli, in the mountains of Orsomarso in the Pollino National Park and the Coast of the Gods.

Heading north to the Veneto region, the Prosecco Hills Trail was inaugurated last Saturday: it is a 50-kilometer route, entirely developed in a UNESCO heritage area and winding through nine municipalities. A slow journey to discover "embroidered" hills, food and wine delicacies, charming villages rich in history. Four stages are planned, starting in Vidor (at the shrine temple Oratory of Our Lady of Sorrows) and arriving in Vittorio Veneto.